Gustavo Melo Cerqueira & Danielle N. Boaz: Religious Racism

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Introduction

We begin this episode with a land acknowledgement.

The podcast explores how a centuries-old Christian doctrine encouraged conquest and colonization of non-Christians – and how its legacies still affect various lands and peoples. Special guests: Gustavo Melo Cerqueira & Danielle N. Boaz, International Commission to Combat Religious Racism. More: https://www.religiousracism.org/

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Show Notes

Gustavo Melo Cerqueira & Danielle N. Boaz: Religious Racism

• Religious racism in Brazil and its impact on indigenous cultures. 0:03
  • Gustavo Melo Cerqueira: Religious racism combats indigenous values, land theft, white supremacy.
• Religious racism in Brazil and its impact on daily life. 3:04
  • Gustavo Melo Cerqueira explains that religious racism in Brazil is not just about violence motivated by religious values, but also about how Afro Brazilian religious communities are impacted by different forms of violence and human rights threats, such as land rights and state neglect.
  • He highlights that religious racism affects not only Afro Brazilian religious communities but also other racial groups, such as native peoples in Brazil, who are also facing similar forms of discrimination and violence.
  • In Brazil, neo-Pentecostal evangelicals are burning down places of worship and statues of Afro-Brazilian religions, leading to deaths and violence against practitioners.
  • Disputes over resources, such as food in trees, are escalating into violence in areas where Afro-Brazilian religions are practiced
• Afro-Brazilian religion and resistance to religious racism. 8:47
  • Gustavo Melo Cerqueira explains the significance of Orishas, in the context of Afro-Brazilian religion.
  • Danielle Boaz is working on giving international visibility to the religious racism faced by Afro-Brazilians, participating in UN committees in Geneva and Washington.
  • Boaz is involved in “boots on the ground” initiatives in Brazil to combat religious racism, including scholarly work and advocacy for international pressure on the Brazilian state.
• Religious persecution in Brazil and ways to get involved. 14:39
  • Afro Brazilian religious temples in Brazil are being vandalized and attacked with stones, resulting in injuries and deaths.
  • Brazilian govt downplays religiously motivated violence, blames interpersonal disputes or drug dealers.
• Combating discrimination against Afro-Brazilian religious communities. 21:44
  • Working Group on Race, Justice, and Africana Religions formed to combat discrimination and violence against Black communities globally.- Danielle Boaz highlights the importance of collective action to address land rights issues faced by indigenous and Afro-Brazilian communities, with a focus on extremist Christian groups in Brazil.

Resources

• Religious Racism
• Danielle Boaz, Banning Black Gods: Law and Religions of the African Diaspora, (Penn State University Press, 2022)
• _____, Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur, (Oxford University Press, 2023)

Credits

• Hosts: Mitch and Tanner Randall, Good Faith Media.
• Executive producers: Mitch Randall, Good Faith Media; Philip P. Arnold and Sandy Bigtree, Indigenous Values Initiative; and Adam DJ Brett, Syracuse University and American Indian Law Alliance.
• Producer: Cliff Vaughn.
• Editor: David Pang.
• Music: Pond5.
• Production Assistance: American Indian Law Alliance.
• Sponsors: The Henry Luce Foundation; Syracuse University; Indigenous Values Initiative; American Indian Law Alliance; American Indian Community House; Good Faith Media; Tonatierra; and Toward Our Common Public Life. We appreciate your support.

Citation

Mitch and Tanner Randall, “Gustavo Melo Cerqueira & Danielle N. Boaz: Religious Racism,” Doctrine of Christian Discovery (Podcast), February 20, 2024. https://podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org/special/s04/.